How to Build a Wood Chevron Barn Door

Kicking off our Shut The Front Door DIY event… we have an amazing DIYer named Emily, who we found over on Instagram when she used our #imaremodelaholic tag. This chevron barn door that she built is so gorgeous, and Emily is here with the details on how to build it, and our beloved Amy has some building plans for you, too! And don’t forget to come link up your door-related projects here, plus tell us a knock-knock joke for a chance to win $25!

Hi it’s Amy from Hertoolbelt. This amazing barn door build is brought to you by Emily, Bravo Emily, your door is amazing! I’ll inject a few build sketches to go along with Emily’s tutorial.

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How to Build a Chevron Barn Door by reader Emily Seaton building plan by Amy of Hertoolbelt

We moved into this 90 something year old Kansas City house less than a year ago with three boys (including an infant, a 4 year old and a 5 year old), a seventy pound dog and an crazy belief that we could rehab most all of it on our own. What it lacked in modern necessities (it had no duct work, gutters, insulation, etc.) it made up for in charm and space. When we walked in for the inspection there was water pouring through the entryway, remnants of termites in the dining room and asbestos in the popcorn ceiling. To say this was a fixer upper was an understatement but we loved the large corner lot, the layout and the neighborhood.

This is Georgia.

She lived here before me, with her two adult bachelor sons. From what I can tell through photographs and letters the family left behind, Georgia and her boys seem like lovely people who adored this old house and made many great memories in it. Though we now own the house, there is still plenty of Georgia to be found everywhere (including this portrait which my husband keeps hanging on our second floor landing for some reason).

Georgia and I share a love for this old beautiful home. However we part ways when comes to the best way to show off its historic beauty. Georgia preferred to cover it up with layers of wallpaper, paint, carpet and velvet (yes we removed a truckload of dusty velvet drapes). Now, I am going room by room in an effort to restore the original wonders of our forever home while weaving in a few modern gems. Somewhere between making school lunches, naptimes and chasing around my one year old, I am trying to find the time to turn Georgia’s home into one that I can call my own.

I am sure that Georgia would not approve.

We have no plans to ever move so I take total comfort in making this home just as we want it. My husband and I were forced to build sets while in college to fulfill our Theater scholarships. Little did I know how fruitful those shop lessons would be for us! We have never rehabbed a house before, but we dove it head first and haven’t looked back. Our most recent project involved turning an outdated bedroom and attached bath into a space for my two oldest boys. Here is the space before (Yes, that is pink floral wallpaper. And yes, it is also on the ceiling. I told you Georgia was everywhere):

And here is the bathroom which we took down to the studs, leaving only the ceiling and the original hexagon mosaic tile floor.

This room needed many things, including a new bathroom door. I love to find cool things from blogs, like this one, or Pinterest, and recreate them. As they say, there is nothing new under the sun and I am not above stealing any idea that is a good idea. I found an awesome version of a barn door on The Accent Piece and knew I wanted to make it, or one like. Here is the door I ultimately came up with:

I decided on a barn door because in raising three boys under the age of seven the appearance of my house often looks more like a barnyard than a place where civilized people live. There were also practical reasons that made the barn door a good fit. The original door swung inward and to the right which is probably why the light switch was on the opposite side of the room above the sink instead of to the right of the door where you would normally find the light switch. I had visions of my boys stumbling across cold tile in the middle of the night blindly trying to find the switch above the sink. We solved this problem by moving the light switch to the right of the door but we had to do away with the inward swinging door. The barn door solved the logistical problem.

Some people suggest barn doors are not good for bathrooms for privacy reasons but considering this is within a bedroom I thought it would be okay. Besides, how much privacy do 4 and 6 year old boys really need anyway? They rarely close the door when they are doing their business as it is.

I had recently been to my local Habitat for Humanity Restore and knew they had a large stock of assorted hardwood flooring for a $1 a square foot. Not really knowing how much wood I needed (I probably went back 3 times for more) I picked through pieces I thought were a good mix. I started by measuring the outside of the door frame to the bathroom. In my case, it was 39” wide and 83” tall. I went to Home Depot and had them cut a sheet of ½’ plywood and a sheet of luan down to 38” wide, one inch short of the door frame width to allow for framing the outside with trim. The luan is the back of my door and the plywood makes up the middle of the structure.

Once you have the materials, the door can be constructed in a few basic steps.

How to Build a DIY Chevron Barn Door

Materials

(This material list is assuming the door is recreated with lumber from the hardware store. If you are using hardwood flooring like Emily, look for the same dimensions she used.)

1 – sheet luan (7/32″ x 4′ x 8′)

1 – sheet 1/2″ plywood (15/32″ x 4′ x 8′)

1 – 1″ x 10″ x 6′ board (actual 3/4″ x 9 1/4″ x 8′)

5 – 1″ x 6″ x 8′ board (actual 3/4″ x 5 1/2″ x 8′)

6 – 1″ x 3″ x 8′ board (actual 3/4″ x 2 1/2″ x 8′)

4 – 1″ x 2″ x 8′ board (actual 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ x 8′)

wood glue

1 1/4″ brad nails

wood filler

sand paper

polyurethane

Cut List

Qty

Thickness

Width

Length

Desc

Note

1

7/32″

38″

83″

luan back

1

15/32″

38″

83″

plywood middle

1

3/4″

4″

38″

top

1×6

1

3/4″

8″

38″

bottom

1×10

2

3/4″

4″

71″

sides

1×6

5

3/4″

5″

30″

top inside

1×6

1

3/4″

1 1/2″

46″

middle

1×2

2

3/4″

1 1/2″

84 1/2″

trim

1×2

2

3/4″

1 1/2″

39 1/2″

trim

1×2

20

3/4″

2 1/4″

20 1/8″

diagonal

45 deg cuts same direction*

2

3/4″

2 1/4″

15 5/8″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

2

3/4″

2 1/4″

11 1/8″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

2

3/4″

2 1/4″

6 5/8″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

2

3/4″

2 1/4″

15 9/16″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

2

3/4″

2 1/4″

11 1/16″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

2

3/4″

2 1/4″

6 9/16″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

2

3/4″

1 1/16″

2 1/8″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

2

3/4″

1″

2 1/16″

diagonal

45 deg cuts opp direction*

*see diagram for clarification

Step 1: Glue the luan and plywood together with wood glue. The luan side should be on the floor. Set heavy items on top all around to compress the luan to the plywood and let it dry. I used only wood glue for this step. I knew this would not be enough strength for the finished product but will go back with short nails to secure.

Step 2: Start arranging the hardwood floor to find the pattern you like most. I think it’s helpful to draw out a diagram before you start so you know what it will look like.

I started building the face of the door from the outside in. I didn’t have pieces long enough to run the length of the door on the edges, so I put the seam on the left where I planned for the handle to go.

Step 3: Start securing the wood flooring edges with wood glue and 1 1/4” nails. I used a pneumatic gun, which makes this process very fast. Plus, there is nothing like using a nail gun to vent the frustrations of the day.

Step 4: Cut a 1×2 to run down the middle. Wait to secure this piece until all of the diagonals are cut to fit. This gives you wiggle room to squeeze in the last piece.

Step 5: To start the diagonals, I started at the corner with a triangle I cut from a wider piece of flooring. From there it was a matter of marking the length of each cut until I got to the end. These are all 45 degree angles and a triangle is very helpful.

The following two diagrams have measurements for the diagnonals, the edges are all 45 deg cuts.

The advantage of working with hardwood flooring is that each piece is manufactured with a tongue and groove edge in order for the pieces to fit into one another. All you have to do is set it in and gently hammer the pieces together. Then secure each piece with the pneumatic gun.

Step 6: After the front of the door is finished its time to frame the sides. In my case, it worked out that the thickness of the door equaled 1 ½” (1/4” luan + ½”plywood + 3/4” hardwood floor). This allowed me to use 1x2s strips of wood (which in reality measure at ¾” x 1 ½”) to frame the door. I cut the 1x2s at a 45 degree angle and attached them to the outside edge with a pneumatic gun.

If your precision with a saw is anything like mine, you may have gaps in the corners of the trim. Fill any imperfect corners (in my case all) with wood filler. When dried, sand until smooth.

Step 7: I had intended to stain the door but after it all came together I really loved the natural look of the hardwood floor. I gave it three coats of polyurethane using a foam brush.

The handle is an old trowel my aunt found at an estate sale. I took it from her figuring I would use it one day. I found the perfect place within a month.

Step 8: The back of the door is just the sheet of luan. Hammer short nails around the edge of the luan for added strength. We needed a small handle to open the door from the inside of the bathroom. I decide on a strip of leather that I attached with tacks.

While searching for leather at Hobby Lobby I can across these leather bookmarks. The size is perfect. I hammered it on with large nail heads leaving some slack so the handle would be easier to grab.

Here is the finished product, with a view into my boys’ new bathroom. The tiling is also my work. I credit my husband with the plumbing and electrical.

HARDWARE

I bought the barn door hardware on Ebay. There are a variety of options but I went with a basic style. This door is heavy but did not exceed the 200lbs weight limit most barn door hardware requires. Considering how wide our door is we went with the long 6.6 FT option opposed to the 6FT. Given the thickness of our baseboards, we hung the hardware backwards so the door would be farther away from the wall.

TIME AND COST

The construction of the door approximately 3, 2 hour sessions. Hanging the door is definitely a group effort but I managed the construction myself.

Light Fixtures: Pottery Barn Outlet, Covington Articulating Single Sconce without the shade (we broke one so decided to go without and use Edison bulbs instead).

This door is the perfect finishing touch to this bed and bath remodel. I know I love it more than my boys do but I hope they will come to appreciate it one day too. While I do not have a blog, you can follow me on Instagram.

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Isn’t Emily amazing? And thanks to Amy’s building plans, you can all build a beautiful door like hers, too. I am in love!!

Coming up in #ShutTheFrontDoorDIY:

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About Amy Baesler

Amy is the tool lover at Hertoolbelt. On Hertoolbelt, Amy shares DIY furniture plans, handyman tutorials, and craft patterns. She has two pint sized 'helpers' that help fix things around the house and build fun projects.

Comments

This is stunning! I love the design on this door, and the finishes of mixed wood on it. We made a barn door and it is still one of my favorite projects I have done in my home. Great space saver and style. I love your rustic feel to it!

How can I get a printable version of the chevron barn door? We are in the process of building a house with 8ft interior doors and cannot find kits for 8ft doors and likely not willing to pay for a premade door! I love barn doors!

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Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.